Campfield, a three-term state House representative of Knoxville's 18th District, repeatedly stressed conservative fiscal principles to fend off Walker's focus on the Republican's reputation as a polarizing ideologue.

A first-time candidate, Walker, 51, touted his work as a longtime business developer and project manager at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, claiming he has the experience to help recruit major employers to Knox County.

Walker received nearly 37 percent of the vote after mounting a campaign that directly took aim at Campfield as a largely ineffective extremist who rarely has authored successful bills in the House.

The 42-year-old Campfield's most visible state House efforts have included a proposal to require death certificates for aborted fetuses and an attempt to join the Legislative Black Caucus.

Walker also often made light of his opponent's personal entanglements, including Campfield's legal disputes with rental house tenants and his removal from a University of Tennessee football game last year after becoming argumentative with police.

Neither candidate returned calls for comment after the polls closed Tuesday night.

The race's Independent candidate, Chuck Williams, trailed a distant third with some 6 percent of the vote.

A third-shift staffer at the city vehicle impoundment lot, Williams, 56, offered a "no nonsense" platform with the endorsement of the Knox County Green Party.

Throughout the campaign, Campfield said he refused to attack Walker personally, instead emphasizing his own record of proposed spending cuts - including a plan to sell most of the state's aircraft fleet and public golf courses - in light of what's expected to be Tennessee's $1 billion budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year.

Characteristic of modern politics, though, the race became increasingly ugly as Election Day drew closer, with attack mailers coming from both major parties, which neither candidate claimed to condone.

Campfield also enjoyed the endorsement of his Senate seat predecessor, Tim Burchett, who was recently elected Knox County mayor, as well as support from now Gov.-elect Bill Haslam.